tooth and nail
19
5.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
con uñas y dientes
- The team fought tooth and nail to win the championship.
- fight tooth and nail
But people like Jenny Lee fought tooth and nail, she said.
- But people like Jenny Lee fought tooth and nail, she said.
- And I had to fight tooth and nail for that listing.
- And like it says, there's only one treatment for this toxin once it gets into the blood, fighting it tooth and nail, spear and claw, up close and brutal.
- You are inviting them to fight tooth and nail and they're currently so much better at that than you that it's just a death knell.
- I had to fight with every tooth and nail to get to where I am today and I've enjoyed that process.
- Nah, What I mean is, would you try to fight tooth and nail to be like one day someone will rescue me or you're going to be like, I'm not, am I on an island?
- Right now it's the book writing, researching a podcast and, and just fight tooth and nail to stay off social media, text message, WhatsApp, YouTube, all that.
Examples
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The GOP will fight this, tooth and nail, as they've historically done with landmark legislation.
Blog text (4) -
I fought tooth and nail for my education, and yet no one would let me practice it.
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We'll fight him tooth and nail, okay?
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Then you can fight it tooth and nail at the border.
Academic text (1997) -
Well we defend it, of course, tooth and nail.
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Which is why, not six months ago, - we fought tooth and nail against it.
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I fought tooth and nail.
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So with this, you can assume that Apple will fight tooth and nail to keep their market share.
Blog text (18) -
Even so, many American business leaders fought the legislation tooth and nail, and some have not given up the fight.
Academic text (1995) -
Teachers' unions have fought tooth and nail against any kind of accountability.
Blog text (8)
Synonyms
92
1.0
In a strong way that shows you will not change your decision
5
6.7
In a very determined way without giving up
1
5.7
Trying very hard and never giving up
1
7.8
To fight very hard and often unfairly to win
Act in a very fierce and aggressive way when trying to keep or get something
Using all your strength and effort
In a brave, determined way when things are difficult
Antonyms
How Fierce
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase evokes a literal image of fighting with one's teeth and nails, so a learner who knows the constituents can often infer the general sense of fighting fiercely or with all one's strength. However, it is a conventionalized idiom with a fixed form and some pragmatic nuance that is not fully compositional, so understanding the exact idiomatic force may require exposure or cross-linguistic familiarity.
Etymology
Tooth and nail comes from the image of animals or people fighting with their own simple weapons, the tooth and the nail, biting and scratching to hold on or win. So it means 'with all your strength' or 'fiercely'.